The search for the cup Christ drank from at the Last Supper, also known as the Holy Grail, has been the focus of many books, movies and real-life quests. People have sought this cup for a number of reasons, and some believe it offers supernatural powers. According to a March 31 article in the New York Daily News, the search is over and the Holy Grail has been located in a museum in San Isidro basilica in Leon, Spain.

History of the goblet thought to be the cup of Christ

The cup thought to be the Holy Grail is crafted of agate, gold and onyx and is encrusted with precious stones. One can't help but think of the "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" movie in which Indiana Jones chose the most modest of the chalices as the true Grail because it was the simple cup of a carpenter. The cup found in Leon is not simple and is actually formed by two goblets and has been known as the Infanta Doña Urraca, daughter of Fernando I, King of León from 1037 to 1065. This medieval goblet has been on display in Spain for 1,000 years but was only recently discovered by two Spanish historians.

Margarita Torres, a medieval history lecturer at León University and Jose Ortiza del Rio, an art historian announced their discovery of the 2,000-year-old chalice and identified it as the biblical Grail in their book, "Kings of the Grail," which was released last week. They base their hypothesis on two Egyptian parchments they found in 2011 at Cairo's University of al-Azhar which led them to identify the upper part of the cup as the "princess's goblet," which is made of agate and is missing a fragment exactly as depicted in the parchments -- a confirmation according to them that this is the Grail. According to the parchments, which are written in Arabic, the Muslims stole the chalice from Jerusalem. The cup came to Spain when it was offered to King Fernando I, who ruled between 1037 and 1065, as a peace offering by the emir of the Muslim part of Spain at the time.

Is this the real Holy Grail?

Whether or not it is the Holy Grail is still debatable. In Europe alone, more than 200 supposed holy grails can be found. In this case, the historians have attempted to debunk the authenticity of some of these other grail-wanna-bes. While the historians admit that they can't prove Christ ever drank from the cup, they say they have used a scientific dating method that shows the chalice was most likely made between 200 B.C. and A.D. 100.

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Donna Sundblad has read through the Bible more than 20 times in her life, but reading the Bible isn't enough. In 2 Timothy, 2:15 we are told to "study." Study involves many aspects including a look at the original language as well as context, not just basing conclusions on opinion. Donna is an inspirational speaker and the published author of multiple devotionals, inspirational stories, and an allegorical spiritual fantasy titled, The Inheritance, which has been nominated for a 2012 Epic ebook award. The story challenges people to think about why they believe what they believe. Is it based on tradition, philosophy, a worldview, or God's truth? Study of the Bible can answer that question.